Shadows, Deep and Dark
by Elle Knight
Summary: Post Asylum. What if the ending of Asylum hadn't happened? The Winchester brothers' next case involves a friend of Sam's who knows what they do. She needs their help with a ghost that just won't leave her alone when she's awake or in her dreams.
1. Presence

Thanks to my best friend (the real, live "Jake") for inspiring me to write this story. I would also like to thank all those authors who have written amazing 'Supernatural' fan fictions. All of you have inspired me to put my own up. I hope everyone enjoys it. Happy belated Thanksgiving to all!

* * *

**Chapter 1 **

**Sleepy Hollow, Illinois **

"Kira, you okay down there?" A voice called from the illuminated doorway. Her flashlight beam swung around the area of the basement in front of her. She switched the flashlight to her other hand, tucking a strand of chestnut brown hair behind her ear in an attempt to quell her nervousness. The sound of the windows rattling on the other side of the room only added to the unexplained sense of anxiousness that was slowly coming over her.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she called back, taking another step down the stairs. "Where did you say the fuse box was again?" A moment of silence followed. Kira climbed down the steps until she reached the bottom. The smooth tile felt cold underfoot.

"It's under the stairs in the small closet." Jake's voice seemed so far away. Kira rounded the banister, the light from the flashlight in her hand bobbed in front of her. A loud creak sounded to the right of her. She swung the beam of light in that direction, revealing a rocking chair that moved back and forth, slowly. Kira shrugged it off as a draft from the harsh wind that continued to shake the windows.

Turning her attention back to her task, she quickly found the closet under the stairs. The fuse box was in the corner of the closet. Kira opened the little metal door on the box, immediately seeing the source of their problem.

"What did you do?" She called up to Jake, teasingly. "The whole house is out!"

"So, hurry up and turn them back on. It's getting creepy up here!"

"You're telling me," she muttered under her breath, flipping two of the switches back into their "On" position. "Anything?"

"Nope. Nothing. Try it again. Sometimes it takes a minute." She could hear the confusion in Jake's voice. A sudden shiver of fear coursed through her; the memory of her dream coming back to her.

She hadn't told Jake that two nights ago she had a dream about this exact situation. When he had asked her to go turn on the electricity in the basement, Kira was met with a strong sense of deja vu. With each new move that she made, the contents of the dream slowly returned to her. She remembered the strong feeling of cold and the sensation of complete darkness as she walked. She remembered turning on the switches and Jake telling her that it had not worked; to give it time. Then, she had turned around at the touch of a hand, and... no, no. That really couldn't happen. No. Not now, not ever.

The feeling of doubt still remained strong within her. She had had these kind of dreams before, just not about something so serious as this. It was always about some routine action or moment when something completely normal occurred. Whether her dreams were of something of importance or not, they _always_ came true. That's what really scared her.

Kira jiggled the switches one more time.

"Anything?" There was a long pause. No response came. "Jake," she called, stepping out of the closet and heading toward the side of the stairs. "Are you still there?" At that moment, she felt a slight pressure on her shoulder. She started, her breath catching in her throat. Kira whirled around, expecting to see Jake there, but there was no one. She felt like she should run; to climb up the stairs and never look back, but something in the back of her mind kept her there. Rational thought told her that there was nothing really there.

"Jake," she called more insistently. "Are you the.." Kira broke off, screaming, as an unseen force grabbed her and shoved her against the far wall. She was held up against the wall by a strong pressure that felt like a man's grip. Struggling for breath, she attempted to pry the invisible hand off of her neck to no avail. She tried to call for Jake, but her scream died as a gurgle in her throat. Glancing down, Kira could see where she had dropped the flashlight when she had suddenly been pulled backwards. The beam flickered slightly, illuminating the floor in front of it for a brief moment before blinking out. Tears sprang to Kira's eyes as she struggled, desperately, to get out of the grip of this unseen force. She knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer. Her lungs were burning, crying out for her to take a breath.

Without warning, a pair of human-like eyes appeared in front of her. They hovered there and seemed to study her for a long moment. The piercing blue, almost violet, hue to the eyes gave Kira the sensation that her soul was being searched.

"Listen!" The soft, masculine voice moved closer to her as the eyes made their way toward the left side of her body. They stopped just inches from her head. "I can't get out! Through the thorns, though you'll bleed. Come, come, get to me." Kira locked eyes with the figure for a long moment before they faded into the darkness, and she was dropped from the wall.

The door at the top of the stairs splintered open. Kira hadn't even noticed that it had slammed shut in the midst of her ordeal.

"Kira!" Jake shouted her name, his feet pounding down the wooden steps. He found her lying on her side, clutching at her neck, and taking in great gulps of air. She struggled to sit up when she noticed him there. He put his hands gently under her back and shoulders, lifting her to lean against him.

"Kira, what happened?" There was no mistaking the worry in his voice. "I heard you scream. The basement door slammed shut, and I couldn't get it open. I thought you were playing a joke on me."

"It was no joke," Kira managed to gasp out, pulling her hair away from her neck. There, on her otherwise pale, ivory skin was a large, vibrant red handprint. A look of unadulterated fear crossed Jake's features.

"Oh God."


	2. Back on the Road

Thanks to my single reviewer, **ChaiGrl**, for giving me some confidence to post the next chapter. This part of the story picks up where "Asylum" left off, but Sam was never in bed in the end, nor did he and Dean receive a call from their dad. This is slight OOC on Dean's part, but I tried my best. Hope everybody enjoys it! Please review!

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**Chapter 2**

**Huntington Lodge**

Hot water worked its way down Sam's sore body, soothing his cramped muscles. He had been in the shower for15 minutes, dwelling on what had happened the night before. Before they had left the asylum, Sam had tried to apologize to Dean and explain to him that he really didn't mean what he had said while possessed. He had even taken the chance of asking Dean if they needed to talk about what happened. Sam should have known that Dean would shrug it off as if nothing had happened and change the subject. He knew that Dean was stunned and unsure about the way Sam had acted. He wanted to make it up to Dean, but he didn't know how.

Sam sighed deeply, turning his back toward the warm spray. It felt like it had been weeks since he last had a long, relaxing shower. He couldn't seem to get to sleep after they had checked into the motel. He left Dean asleep in in his beg and made a point to be quiet as he dug in his bag for a change of clean clothes. Sam hoped that sleep would do Dean some good. Maybe it would even erase some of the memories of last night.

Sam was beginning to feel the heaviness of sleep come over him. The more time he spent in the shower, the more drowsy he seemed to get. He didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to have another nightmare about Jessica or a premonition of their next case. Sam just wanted to push all of this out of his mind, out of his life. He didn't want to hunt anymore. The only good thing that had come out of all of this was that he had gotten closer to Dean and now, he had put that in jeopardy.

Turning off the water, Sam stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist, wiping the fog from the bathroom mirror. Sam was shocked at his appearance. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. He was pale, his eyes slightly bloodshot, reflecting a look of sadness and regret. He couldn't believe that a night in that place had taken such a toll on him. He had dealt with more difficult cases before, but, clearly, this was different. He could've killed Dean! Sam shuddered at the thought. How would he have been able to live with himself? He tried, desperately, to shove those thoughts out of his mind as he got dressed.

Sam cracked the door open, slightly, in an effort to rid the room of steam. He could hear Dean's phone ringing on the stand beside the bed. Who was calling them now? Sam really didn't feel like answering it; starting another case right now. Instead, Sam decided to let it ring. HE shut the bathroom door, blocking out the incessant jingle of Dean's phone.

* * *

Dean rolled over, groaning. What had woken him up? He sat up in bed, reaching for his cell phone when he heard it ring. Not bothering to look at the caller ID, he answered it.

"Hello."

"Uh, hi," a young woman's voice came over the line, "is this Sam Winchester?"

"No. No it's not. Who's this?"

"Uh, my name is Kira McGrath. I called to ask for Sam's help. Is he there?" Instinctively, Dean's eyes darted to the bed opposite him. Sam wasn't there and the sheets were untouched.

"He stepped out for a minute," Dean lied. "Can I help you with something?" There was a moment of silence before Kira spoke up again.

"A-are you Sam's brother?" Dean was surprised at this. The girl seemed to consider Sam more than an acquaintance. He didn't think Sam had told many of his friends about their cross-country "road trip".

"Yeah, I am. I'm Dean."

"Then you look into...special cases, too?" She sounded almost reluctant asking this. Dean could hear the fear in her voice.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"I have a problem. I don't know what else to do. I can't call the police. They'll think I'm insane. I spent a week with Sam when he came to NIU for spring break. He's friends with a guy I work with. Chris introduced us at a party and he told me a little about his family. We've also been keeping in touch by e-mail, and he's been telling me about going on a road trip with you. He's also alluded to what you...do. He gave me this number. I would really like your help. Please."

"Where are you Kira?"

"I, uh, I live in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois.

"What happened? What made you want to call Sam?"

"Yesterday, I was at my best friends house. We were studying for our midterm when the fuses in the house blew. I went into his basement to turn them back on and...something attacked me."

"What attacked you, Kira?"

"I didn't see it, well, none of it except for its eyes. It talked to me, whispered some strange rhyme to me. This has never happened before. I really don't know what to do." Her voice trembled more as she went on. Dean felt sorry for the girl. She sounded young and very vulnerable. They would have to take the case.

"It's going to be all right. We'll be there this afternoon." Kira proceeded to give him her address and told him what time she would be home after school.

"Dean, thanks so much. I'm forever grateful." With that she hung up the phone. Dean sat there for a moment with the silent phone still pressed up against his ear. What had he just gotten himself into? He needed to find Sam, so he could explain to him about this girl.

For the first time since he had woken up, Dean noticed that the bathroom light was on. Sam had been taking a shower. Untangling himself from the blankets and putting his phone on the bedside table, he got up, walking toward the closed door.

"Sammy, if you don't come out, I'm coming in." The door opened suddenly, revealing to him a battered looking Sam.

"What do you want?" The irritation in his voice was unmistakable. He had foreseen this happening and he really didn't want to get started on another case so soon.

"Your little girlfriend called. Jeez, I really never thought of you robbing the cradle, but I guess I was wrong."

"What? Who was it?"

"Kira McGrath." Recognition shown in Sam's eyes.

"What did she want? Is she okay?"

"Well, for right now. She sounded freaked on the phone, though. It seems as if she got attacked yesterday by a ghost. It singled her out, talked to her. I told her we could help. She's only an hour and a half drive away. What do you say?"

"Sure, sure. Um, let me just get my stuff together and then we can leave." Dean nodded his head. He knew that Sam would put aside his feelings for a friend. That's just how he was. As Dean walked away, he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Dean, thanks, for agreeing to go. I know how you feel about me still having friends. It means a lot." Dean just smiled, slightly, turning away, muttering under his breath,

"Anything for you, Sammy. Anything for you."


	3. Welcome to Sleepy Hollow

Thanks to all of my generous reviewers! Please keep reading. I'm so glad there are several people out there actually paying attention. "Gasp!" LOL. In this chapter you get some Sam and Dean banter, Dean meets Kira, and we begin to answer the question of what's _really_ going on with Sam and Kira. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3**

"So, explain to me again how you met this girl." Dean and Sam had found Kira's house without incident and were now sitting in her driveway, the car idling.

"I had a friend who transferred from Stanford to NIU last year. He got a job where Kira worked and he invited her to this party that he had over spring break. We talked for a while, and we hung out a couple of times during that week. We've been keeping in touch though e-mail ever since."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Okay, that's peachy and all, but what I can't figure out is why you were so tight-lipped about what we do to your other friends and with Kira it seems like you told her your whole life story." Sam rolled his eyes. Dean waited patiently for Sam to answer him.

"She didn't know about us until a couple of months ago when she e-mailed me about these bizarre dreams she was having. She told me that they were short dreams about normal things, but that they always came true. I didn't want to be responsible for something happening to her that I could have stopped. So, I told her about us. I told her about me and what happened with Jessica, and I said that she should call me if anything ever happened to her like that."

"That _was _after you told me, right?" Dean asked, teasingly, turning off the car and getting out. Sam just shot him a vaguely annoyed look before following him up the walk toward Kira's house.

The outside was painted neutral beige and it could not have been more than ten years old. Unlit Christmas lights dotted the bushes on either side of the house as a testament to the fast-approaching holiday. Sam rang the bell when they reached the door. When no one answered after two rings, Dean rang the doorbell, obnoxiously, earning him another disapproving glance from his brother.

"What?" He asked, innocently. At that moment, the front door opened revealing Kira dressed in her pajamas and a bathrobe. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. There were dark circles under her eyes, and as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear the brothers could see a large, hand-shaped bruise on her neck.

"I'm so glad your guys are here." She reached up to hug Sam. "Sam, thank you so much for coming." Her voice was mottled with tears. Desperately, she kept them in check, breaking out of the hug and moving to introduce herself to Dean.

"Hi, I'm Kira," she said, simply, shaking Dean's hand, warmly. Dean nodded in return.

"Please, come in guys. I'm sorry I'm such a mess, but I really didn't feel like going to school today. I decided to take a personal day."

"Playing hooky. I like you already," Dean answered, his comment reaching the desired effect when Kira smiled.

"Your brother certainly has a sense of humor. I like it." Kira directed at Sam. Sam just scoffed slightly. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you. Sam, you told me that if I ever had a violent premonition that came true I should call you. The night before I got...attacked, I had a vision. I thought it was just a regular nightmare, but last night as it was all happening, I remembered. I saw that...ghost, or whatever it was come to me in my dream first." Kira moved to sit down on the couch in the living room, waiting for Sam and Dean to follow before going on. "I had another one last night. I don't remember a lot of what happened, but I can remember its eyes. They were the same eyes. Blue, almost violet, reaching into me; trying to discover my secrets. It told me something. Last night it gave me this bizarre part of a riddle after it slammed me against the basement wall. It was something like "Through the thorns, though you'll bleed. Come, come get to me." I will never forget that, ever." Kira broke off, suddenly, not able to go on.

"Kira," Sam started, gently, moving to sit next to her. He began rubbing her back, slowly, trying to get her to calm down. "What did it say to you in your dream?" Her face contorted into one of confusion she tried again, "The clock chimes thrice, then all will hear, the sound of the ringing there." I have no idea what this could mean." The brothers exchanged thoughtful glances. Each knew what the other was thinking. The ghost was using Kira as a medium for its message. But why?

"I just want this...thing...whatever it is out of my head and out of my life. Everyone already thinks I'm crazy. I don't need things that go bump in the night pestering me to add to that." Kira got up from her place on the couch and walked toward the sliding glass doors on the far side of the room. She peered out at the cloudy sky. It reflected her mood perfectly today.

"Can we see where this happened?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah, uh, sure. Just let me get cleaned up and let me give Jake a call to let him know we're coming. It shouldn't be a problem. Make yourselves comfortable. I shouldn't be long." With that, Kira disappeared up the flight of stairs that stretched into the far corner of the living room.

When she was out of earshot, Dean spoke up.

"Well, that was certainly interesting. What kind of girls are you chasing these days, Sammy? She couldn't have been older than 18. Did you see how she was looking at you the whole time? You'd think you were her hero or something." Sam let that comment go. He knew how Dean could act in these kinds of situations.

"You know that's not why I came here. She's just a friend. I felt like I had to help her out. I certainly wouldn't question you if you suddenly decided to take a detour to help an old friend out with poltergeist problems."

"Provided I had any friends, and even if I did, I guarantee you that none of them would be that young." Not bothering to respond to that, Sam got up, making his way into Kira's kitchen. He had originally gone in there for a glass of water, but now he was just glad to be away from Dean. Usually, he loved his brother and was grateful to Dean for looking out for him on an almost daily basis, but sometimes Dean could really get on his nerves. Who did he think he was saying things like that? Sam was certainly not out to start another relationship with anyone just yet. Jessica's death still scarred him in a way that he didn't think he could start another relationship so easily. Even if he _was_ ready, Sam knew it wouldn't be Kira that he would be seeking a relationship with. As Sam filled his glass with water from the tap, he wanted to this to be true, though somewhere inside of him he knew that it wasn't.

* * *

"Why are they even here? I don't know how they're going to be able to help us, Kira. It was just an accident. Can't we just leave it alone?" Jake had taken Kira aside the moment she had shown up at his door with Sam and Dean. Jake was not one to believe in things like this so easily. He didn't exactly take them seriously when they had come into his house brandishing shot guns loaded with rock salt and demanding to see the place where Kira had been "attacked". Now, they were standing in his foyer whispering, harshly, as Sam and Dean stood in the doorway to the living room pretending to be disinterested in their conversation.

"No, we can't just leave it alone Jake. Something happened down there to me, and I want to know what! This," Kira drew back the hair from her neck, "was no accident. Something physically choked me and nearly killed me. It's visiting me in my dreams now. I just want it to go away. Please, I need your help more than I need theirs." She cocked her head toward Sam and Dean, slightly.

The look on Jake's face still told Kira that he was in denial, but he would do this for her. He had been best friends with her for as long as he could remember and he wasn't about to abandon her now to some ghost hunters.

"Of course, I'll help you."

"Thank you." They broke away from each other, turning to face the brothers.

"You guys want to see the basement?" Jake asked, simply.

"Yeah, that would be great." Sam answered, lightly. He didn't want to create any rifts between Kira and Jake solely by being there. He had made a personal vow to be as agreeable with Jake as possible. He just hoped Dean would do the same. So far, it didn't seem like it.

"Let's get something straight here first," Dean began, directing his statement toward Jake. "This isn't going to work unless _everyone _here believes that what we're saying is true. What is it going to take to convince you that were not just some crazy guys with an arsenal in our trunk that could outfit an army?"

"But you are just some crazy guys with an arsenal in your trunk that could outfit an army," Kira stated, breaking the tension. Sam laughed, shooting an amused look at Dean. Dean did not look very amused. Instead, he was still glaring, unrelentingly, at Jake. Jake ignored him, moving past all of them into the hallway and toward the basement door. The others followed him, quickly climbing down the steps. Kira could feel a sudden chill envelop her. She hadn't stayed down there for very long after Jake had found her crumpled on the floor the night before. She had hoped she wouldn't need to return to the basement anytime soon. Now, she was being asked to reenact what had happened during the attack. Well, at least she had the three of them to protect her now, though she didn't know how much good that would do.

"Show us where it happened." She glanced at Sam as he said this. A look of reassurance was written in his features. She would be all right.

"Well," she began, "I walked down the stairs and into that closet under the stairs to look for the fuse box. I stopped once on the way, thinking that I had heard something. All that I could find was a rocking chair that had been moving from what I thought was a draft." Immediately, Dean removed his EMF meter from insidehis coat pocket. Running it over the rocking chair in the corner of the room, he got nothing.

"Nope," he called back to Sam. Kira went on with her story, tracing her steps as she went. "I walked into the closet and asked Jake where the fuse box was. He told me and I tried to turn the switches back on, but nothing happened. He told me to try again and I did. Nothing happened. At this point I had realized that I had seen this before. I knew what was coming. I tried to call for Jake again, but I didn't get any response."

"The door slammed shut. It was stuck and I couldn't get it open. I thought she was joking. We do stuff like that all the time, I didn't think anything was wrong." Disbelief was evident in Jake's tone.

"I ran out of the closet and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked around with my flashlight, but I couldn't see anything. That's when that...thing pulled me backward and held me against the wall." She made her way over to the far wall facing the stairs. The wall was only about ten feet from the stairs, but had seemed much farther then."He held me up so that only the tips of my toes were able to touch the floor."

"How tall was he?" Sam ventured. "My height, Dean's height, or shorter?" Kira beckoned him over, flattening herself against the wall. Standing on her tip toes, she put Sam's hand around her neck, loosely.

"About your height. The eyes appeared right in front of me and then moved closer to the side of my head. It needed to whisper the words to me like they were some kind of secret. After that, it dropped me to the floor and Jake broke the door down."

"I found her crumpled on the floor in front of the wall. She had a red mark on her neck, and she was talking about being attacked. I really didn't know what to think."

"Well, it's definitely some kind of ghost that's attached itself to you. That's why it feels like it can only come to you to tell you things. You're really its medium. Anything, _anything_, at all that it tells you, I want you to tell Sam and I what it was. We're never going to get rid of this thing unless we know how to help it move on." Dean's tone carried that professional quality it always had when he was dealing with a case.

"What do you mean, help it. I just want to get rid of it. I don't want to have any more dreams. No. No, no!" Kira was shouting now. Sam moved to put a hand on her shoulder.

"The only way we _can _get rid of it is by finding out what it wants and giving it to him."

"Well, besides salting and burning the remains," Dean added.

"How would you do that?" Jake asked, skeptically.

"By finding its bones, pouring rock salt on them, and burning them to ash." Dean answered, expertly.

"How are we even going to find his remains whenthe only clue to his identitywe have to go on is the color of his eyes that I saw when he appeared to me?" Kira glanced at Sam, expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Anyone up for a trip to the library?"


	4. A Piece of the Puzzle

I'm back! The last few months have been really crazy with finals and all that wonderful junk, so this is about the first time I've had to write in a very, very long time. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. I'm going to complicate the story just a bit, but I'm sure you'll all like it. Just a very, very short summary of this chapter: Dean and Kira have a talk, Sam does research, and things get very strange for Jake. I'm going to dedicate this chapter to J. J. and Matty, my real life Sam and Dean. Reviews ALWAYS make me happy!

**A/N: Originally I was going to have Jake and Kira have a very long conversation in the library, but I thought it would be more interesting to have Dean and Kira have the conversation because they don't get any quality time together. ;) Also, Sleepy Hollow is a real town in Illinois (I may have already mentioned this.) No, I do not live there, but I do have a connection to it. Everything about Sleepy Hollow in this story is to be entirely fictional. (I just don't want to offend anyone from the area or anything like that, so consider this a personal disclaimer.) There are some true elements, like the way the area looks, but that's about as far as the similarities go. The whole ghost story is entirely fabricated. In other words, no names in this story are real. Thanks for reading my potentially confusing note. On to the story.

* * *

**

Chapter 4

A Piece of the Puzzle

"So, what are we looking for?" Dean looked toward Sam, waiting for a response as Sam settle himself in front of one of the library's various microfiche machines.

"Newspaper articles dated before the houses were built. Anything involving the violent death of a man in the area. Something, anything that's going to give us any kind of clues telling us what attacked Kira in that basement."

"And we couldn't do this on a computer because…"

"I tried last night, and, apparently, this community is pretty tight-lipped about its past goings on to outsiders."

"Do you think that they're hiding something?" Dean asked, curiously.

"Maybe. I can't figure out if its just bad record keeping or someone trying to bury information. I figured we could come to the library and dig up some old newspaper records. If we can't find anything, I think it would be safe to say that someone _is_ trying to cover something up." Dean shook his head in understanding.

"Well, while you're searching I'll be at the café downstairs. I need to get my daily caffeine fix." Dean stood up. "You want anything?"

"No, no. I'll get something later if I feel like it," Sam answered, clearly distracted by the articles that flew past on the screen. Somewhere in his mind he registered the sound of Dean's retreating footsteps. He wasn't going to leave this library without the information he was looking for.

* * *

Kira balanced precariously on a middle step of one of the ladders attached to the library's tall bookshelves. Gripping the edge of the shelf in front of her, she attempted to push herself over to the next row of books she had yet to peruse. 

"You really shouldn't be up there, you know," a familiar, male voice stated, startling her. She jumped, slightly, slipping off of the steps of the ladder. Strong hands reached out to steady her.

"Thanks Dean," she managed to croak out, turning to face him. "Where's Sam?"

"He's looking at old newspaper article, trying to find information about your ghost. I left to get coffee. Care to join me?" Dean had asked this partially out of sheer politeness, and partially out of a need to get to know Kira better. He needed to what her _real _intentions were with Sam.

"Sure," she answered, climbing down, slowly. Dean steadied the ladder. He got a breathless, "thanks" for his efforts. "I'd hate to leave Jake, but I think he needed some time to take all of this in. He really doesn't believe in anything that you guys deal with. It's killing him that you are even here. He thinks you're feeding my," she paused, making quotation marks with her fingers, "paranoid delusions." Dean chuckled, slightly, shaking his head while following Kira through the stacks.

"Jake sounds like an interesting guy. You're good friends?" Dean half hoped that there was something between the two for Sam's sake. He really didn't need to be involved in a relationship so close to Jessica's death.

"Yes, but not how you're implying." Kira smirked. "Jake and I have known each other since we were seven. He moved in the house next door and we just became friends. That's all that it's ever been."

"Okay, okay." Dean held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. Kira laughed.

"I'm sorry. It's just , when you're in high school -I'm sure you remember- if you tell people that you are "just friends", people assume a whole lot more. I get too many questions about it, and this whole ghost thing has got me pushed to my breaking point. I'm just getting a bit irritable."

"Well, that's normal. I've got to say that you're taking this better than most people would." Dean stopped, waiting for her reaction. Kira's expression changed very little with his words. She gave him a sad half-smile, looking up at him as they both descended the staircase that lead to the lobby.

"Nothing really surprises me anymore. Since I started having my…dreams, I learned to stop being so naïve about everything supernatural. I did a lot of research, especially after my first vision that lasted more than a couple of seconds." There was a long pause before she went on. "It gets worse doesn't it?" Dean had to swallow the lump that was starting to form in his throat. Why did he feel like he was about to give her a death sentence?

"Sometimes," Dean whispered. Realizing that this was becoming dangerously close to one of those "chick flick" moments that he always dreaded, he cleared his throat,

"I really can't say. Sammy's only been having them for a few months. Sometimes they're just like normal dreams, but sometimes," he decided to be straight with her, "sometimes he gets waking visions that are painful. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but if you are looking for a straight answer, I won't lie to you. It could."

"Thanks Dean," she whispered, then her expression changed. "You know he really hates when you call him that."

"What, Sammy?" Dean laughed. "Boy, could I tell you some great stories about him." Dean held open the door for Kira as they walked into the café. He fully intended on embarrassing his brother. If she liked him, she would have to accept the full package.

"Well, this one time…"

* * *

_His mind screamed at him to run faster. He could hear their footsteps come closer with each passing second. He knew he wouldn't be alive for much longer. Why hadn't they gotten out of town sooner? Quickly, he pushed that passing thought out of his mind, concentrating on weaving his way through the thickness of the woods. He could hardly see the path ahead of him. There was no moon that night._

_"We can hear you! Don't bother running anymore! It's just going to make it harder when we get to you!" He could hear the familiar voice float above the tree line. Egan Gile had been the source of great trouble for him for as long as he could remember. Once, he had owed the man his life, but now he believed the man owed _him_ many things. _

_None of this had truly been his fault. No one believed him anymore. The moment Egan had settled here, his control over everything had gone._

_A sudden rustling of leaves to his right alerted him to the fact that they had surrounded him. He could do nothing more but be forced to meet them and pray for a fate that he could be content with. _

_"Why do you insist on making it so hard for everyone. Nobody cares for you anymore, Lucas." Gile emerged from the bushes in front of him, his voice low with malice. "It's over. Done. If you'd rather die with dignity, I would advise that you give yourself over to us." Lucas didn't even have to contemplate what Egan had said. He sunk to the ground in a gesture of defeat. He kept his eyes closed, unable to face the man who had ruined his life and was about to take it from him. Lucas could feel the cold end of a gun barrel settle against his temple. He vaguely registered the sound of the gun being cocked._

_"Come on, Lucas. Face death like a man." He could feel a painful explosion rip through his head, cutting off his thoughts, permanently._

Jake awoke, breathing heavily, feeling a slight pressure on his shoulder.

"Hey, Jake, you okay." It was Sam. He slid his hand from Jake's shoulder and took a seat at the large wooden table across from him. Jake looked up from where his head had rested in his hands. He had fallen asleep waiting for Kira to come back with books on the history of Sleepy Hollow. He remembered thinking that she would understand if he dozed off for just a little bit. School had been a bit rough for the both of them lately.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just fell asleep waiting for Kira. Where is she?" His grogginess suddenly turned to confusion.

"I don't know," Sam answered, deciding not to press any further with Jake. "but we'd better find Dean, too. I think I found something about our ghost."

* * *

Another cliffie! Are you that surprised? The next chapter will be out soon. I'm on a major writing kick, as of late. In the meantime, why don't you just click that little purple button in the lower left hand corner? You know you want to.:-) 


	5. Longing to Wake

I'm back with chapter 5! I know it's been a few weeks, but there's been a lot of excitement that I couldn't pull myself away from. I finally had a couple of minutes to sit down and type this all out. This chapter is the turning point in the story, so I hope you enjoy! Please review! Sam and Dean will give you lots of hugs if you do! As for the song included in the chapter, I am not usually a HIM fan, but my brother plays the music non-stop, so it was bound to stick with me sooner or later. I picked this song (which I do not own, by the way) because it seemed to fit Lucas's attitude at the end of the chapter. Some classic rock will be included later in the story, as well. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

Longing to Wake

Kira closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the leather seat in the Impala.

"His name was Lucas McGovern. He lived in Sleepy Hollow around the turn of the century, and it looks like he was some part of a cult that met in a farmhouse on the outskirts of town." She was only half paying attention to what Sam was saying. She knew it was important, but part of her just didn't care anymore.

"Kira?" She could hear her name being called from the front seat. "Kira?" The increasing concern in Sam's voice was not missed by anyone.

"Yes?" she answered, opening her eyes. Sam had adjusted the rearview mirror so his gaze could meet hers.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just keep going."

"I was asking if you think you could identify the ghost. I got a picture of Lucas out of the library archives." Sam handed the photocopied sheet back to her. The picture was of a man in his mid-twenties. His brown hair was cropped close to his head, giving him a vaguely distinguished look. He stood, leaning, against the thick trunk of an oak tree. His loose, white shirt was partially unbuttoned and the bottoms of his pants were splattered with mud. He hid the remnants of a smile of his face. Kira couldn't help but gasp when her gaze reached his eyes.

_This_ was him. It _had_ to be. His eyes were as piercing as they had been that day in the basement.

"Kira?" She could hear Jake's voice calling her, now. "Kira!" The paper was ripped from her hands, tearing off the edge she'd been holding.

"Yeah, what?" Her voice sounded unnatural, loud. A sudden sharp pain erupted in her head. She didn't know what drove her to scream. Kira could feel Dean pull to the side of the road, stopping the car. Vaguely, she could hear frantic shouts in the background, but she wasn't with them anymore.

Staring down at her hands, she now saw that she was holding a gun. She was sure those weren't her hands. Kira knew she didn't belong here. Internally, she started when the hands began to move. She tried to will them to stop, but she found that she had no control. Her eyes followed the hands as they pointed the gun at a silhouetted figure that was kneeling in front of her. There was heat all around her. Men carrying lit candles were gathered in a circle. She could feel her feet step closer to the man prostrated on the ground. His face came into view. It was him; the ghost that now haunted her memory.

The gun barrel came to rest at the man's temple. She tried, desperately, to drop the gun, but her fingers found the trigger, eagerly.

"Come on, Lucas. Face death like a man." Kira could feel the words escape her, but the voice was clearly masculine. Fingers squeezed the trigger.

"No!" Kira jumped up, attempting to escape the arms that surrounded her in comfort. Hands guided her head back down. Jake's eyes met hers in a moment of relief. She exhaled, loudly, tears coming to her eyes. Kira's head rested in Jake's lap.

"Thank God," he exclaimed, uncharacteristically. Sam's face came into view, blurred by the tears that now slipped down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Kira's voice was almost inaudible. Jake and Sam worked to help her sit up. It was only then that she noticed they had laid her out in the back of the car. Sam and Jake exchanged unsure looks.

"Uh," Sam began.

"Is she okay?" Dean peeked his head into the open car door. Kira sat up straighter, turning to see all of their faces.

"What happened to me?" The panic in her voice was unmistakable.

"Sammy, we need to…" Sam put his hand up, stopping Dean.

"Kira, you had some kind of seizure." She shook her head,

"No, no. I-I saw the ghost…Lucas! I shot him in the woods! The people from that cult were there. They just let me do it." Sam could see Jake's eyes widen in disbelief. He pushed past Dean on his way out of the car.

"Jake," Dean's tone was softer this time. "Kira's gonna be fine, and…"

"No! It's not that!" He turned to face Dean, "Whatever Kira saw when she…collapsed, I-I saw it too. When we were in the library, I fell asleep." He was pacing now, and his words were coming out with more difficulty. "I had…a dream. It was the same thing that Kira saw. _Exactly_ the same!"

* * *

"You're sure this will work?" Kira watched as Dean and Sam poured a thick ring of salt around her bed.

"No spirits can pass its boundaries. You'll be safe." Sam gave her a reassuring smile.

"In the meantime," Dean began, "Sammy and I are going to do some more research and see if we can't dig up the bastard."

Sam could see the uncertainty in Kira's eyes.

"Hey," he began, standing. He crossed the ring of salt and sat on the edge of her bed. "We want this to end just as much as you do. We'll find him, I promise. Just please," Sam stopped, briefly, squeezing Kira's hand, "get some sleep. You look like you need it." Kira could only smile in return.

"That about does it here." Dean stood. "Ready to go Sammy?" Sam turned his head toward Dean, letting go of Kira's hand.

"Yeah."

"Goodnight guys. Thanks," she called, as they left the room, shutting the door behind them.

Jake was waiting outside, sitting on the steps of the staircase.

"She shouldn't have anything visiting her in the middle of the night," Dean assured.

"Are you gonna stay until her parents come home?" Sam asked Jake.

"I was planning on it. I just don't feel right leaving her alone." After a pause he added, "If it means anything, I believe you now. I'll do anything to help you get rid of it."

"Well, we may have to take you up on that later. I'm glad you've finally started paying attention. Ignorance is what gets most people killed with this stuff." Dean made his way past Jake, toward the front door.

"Call us if anything happens," Sam added before following Dean out of the house.

* * *

Kira awoke, suddenly. The room was eerily quiet. Rolling over, she saw that it was only 2:30 in the morning. She sat up, needing to see that the ring of salt was still there, unbroken. She could see its white outline against the dark hardwood of the floor. Vaguely, she could hear music coming from downstairs.

_There are things you should know.  
The distance between us seems to grow.  
But you're holding on strong.  
Oh how hard it's to let go, oh so hard to let go._

Without second thought, she went out into the hallway, checking her parents' bedroom.

_I'm waiting for your call, and I'm ready to take your  
six six six in my heart.  
I'm longing for your touch, and I welcome your sweet  
six six six in my heart._

The bed hadn't been slept in. She closed the door, making her way downstairs.

The stereo in the living room was turned up to full volume.

_I'm losing my faith in you.  
You don't want it to be true.  
But there's nothing you can do.  
There's nothing you can do - Yes, I've lost my faith in  
you._

Moving to turn it off, she was stopped by a hand that closed over hers.

"Jake!" she screamed after turning to face him. "You scared me! Why are you…" He kissed her, deeply. Pushing at his chest, she shoved him off of her. Her eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" Jake looked almost hurt by this.

"Don't you recognize me Lilith? I know it's been a long time for us, but I've come back to make it right." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

_I'm waiting for your call, and I'm ready to take your  
six six six in my heart.  
I'm longing for your touch, and I welcome your sweet  
six six six in my heart._

"Please say you'll forgive me!" Violently, he grabbed her by the hands, shaking them. "Please! I can't live without you!" Kira could only look on in shock. This wasn't Jake.

"Lucas?" She asked, tentatively. He stopped brushing her cheek with his fingers.

_How long we have to wait,  
For love is fading so slowly.  
I know it's too late.  
Oh my god you're so lonely._

"Yes?"

"Can-can I think about this, please?"

"No!" He jerked her forward, pressing her up against him. "I don't have a lot of time!"

"Please Lucas, you're scaring me." He had the grace to look ashamed. He released her, allowing Kira to take a step backward.

"I'm sorry, Jake." Kira knew he would forgive her later for what she was about to do. His face contorted into an expression of confusion before she hit him over the head with the fireplace poker. Kira ran for the kitchen, unsure if she had actually knocked him out.

Tearing though the cabinets, she quickly found the salt. She spread it across the doorway to the kitchen, then mad a ring around herself as she dialed the phone. It rang twice before Sam answered.

Later, Kira wouldn't remember what she said to him. She would only remember that it took and eternity for him to find her sitting on the floor in the middle of a circle of salt, trembling violently.

_I'm waiting for your call, and I'm ready to take your  
six six six in my heart.  
I'm longing for your touch, and I welcome your sweet  
six six six in my heart.  
I'm ready for your cal,l and I'm ready to take your six  
six six in my heart.  
I'm longing for your touch, and I welcome your sweet  
six six six in my heart.  
In my heart.  
In my heart.  
In my heart._


	6. Bodyguards and Tea Parties

Here it is, the sixth chapter! Wow, we're getting pretty close to the end here. I want to thank all the people who did review. You guys have been great! However, I am very disappointed at the 890 people who did view my story and never bothered to review! What's wrong with all of you! Have you no decency? (Okay, okay, maybe I was a bit out of line there, but please you all really have to review!) I really appreciate the reviews, good or bad. Please, no very, very harsh flames, though. I'll sic Dean and Sam on you!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Bodyguards and Tea Parties**

Weaving her way through the thick crowd of students, Kira worked to avoid the stares of her fellow students. The hand-shaped bruise throbbed as she spun the dial on her locker. Absentmindedly, she brought a hand to her cheek, touching the mottled skin.

"It doesn't look that bad." The hand dropped from her cheek, suddenly. She turned to Sam, adding several textbooks to the growing pile in her arms.

"Are you serious? The only reason people haven't been bombarding me with questions is because I haven't been able to go three feel without you following me." Kira's attitude changed briefly when she saw the hurt look Sam gave her.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I just- I can't deal with all of this right now. I wouldn't have even come today if it wasn't for my English midterm, which counts for half of my grade!" Kira took a breath, starting again, "Thanks, though, Sam. I'm sure you don't want to play babysitter all day."

"Not babysitter," he answered, playfully, "bodyguard." Kira rolled her eyes. Dean had called the school that morning saying he was from the state police, and that there had been a robbery at Kira's house the night before. He claimed it was necessary for her to be followed around by an officer while coming in to take care of a few things for her classes. She wouldn't be in school for the rest of the week.

It took Sam and Dean an hour to explain to Kira's parents why there wasm salt scattered all throughout the house. The situation was met with disbelief, then fear. Sam and Dean warded the house, promising them that there would be no more attacks.

Jake was left with a minor concussion and no idea of what he had done to Kira while possessed. Kira felt guilty for dragging him into this. Subconsciously, she slammed the locker shut, hurrying to the one class she actually had to sit in on today.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam's hand came to rest on her shoulder, pulling her back toward him. "Are you _trying_ to ditch me?"

"No, I just want to get to class, take the damn test and get out of here!"

"Okay, okay!" Sam held up his hands in a gesture of mock surrender. Sam understood the frustration she was feeling over not being able to bring an end to all of this. "Let's just hope Dean got somewhere trying to locate the body."

* * *

Dean had been at Jake's house for no more than five minutes and was already elbow-deep in old newspaper clippings and land records mentioning the recent building of new houses in the area. Jake had offhandedly mentioned the bulk of papers that his family had collected from their move a couple of years back. All of the old property records and information about the condition of the land dating back to 1875 were here, but Dean saw nothing that could suggest why Lucas had attached himself to this house and Kira. There was also nothing to even remotely connect the property with the field that Kira had seen in her vision. To Dean, this was all wrong.

Dean looked up at the door, which led to the house from the garage, as it creaked open. A little, brown-haired girl stood in the doorway; Jake's youngest sister Alicia. Jake's mom had introduced him to all of Jake's six brothers and sisters. He'd forgotten all of their names, save for Alicia's. The only reason he'd even been able to remember that was because she'd shared a name with one of his more… active girlfriends.

"Hi," Dean greeted, awkwardly. He still didn't feel totally comfortable dealing with kids. She just stared at him with wide, blue eyes, wandering over to where he squatted next to the box.

"I have a secret!" She gushed, trying to catch his eye.

"Oh yeah?" Dean was only half listening, digging around in the box.

"Momma said last year they found someone sleeping in the ground." At that, Dean's head shot up.

"What happened?" Ignoring him, she went on,

"Momma told us you were looking for the bad things that hurt Jake. She told me not to tell. No one was supposed to tell." After a brief moment of hesitation, Dean took her little hands in his and met her eyes.

"Alicia, what did you mommy say about the person sleeping in the ground?" She just shook her head, taking his hand and leading him into the house.

* * *

Dean gave a slight "oomph" as he tried to push himself closer to the small pink table. Alicia placed a small, plastic teacup and saucer in front of him.

"Now, you have to drink it all." Dean was surprised at the small air of authority that came from her. Reluctantly, he picked up the cup, sipping at the raspberry iced tea inside. She smiled at him, then moved to serve her other "guests"- various teddy bears scattered around the table. It was only after this that she began talking again.

"Last year- I 'member it was when the leaves turned colors 'cause I was mad I couldn't go outside anymore- the police came to the house right after Jake and Matti got home from school. They talked to mommy for a _really_ long time! She called them. There were a lot of people here digging a fishy pond for the garden, and they had to stop. Mommy was really sad. Her and daddy yelled a lot that night. Mommy said that someone was in our backyard, in the ground. The police wanted mommy not to say anything and daddy wanted her to do that. The police are good. You should do what they say," she pointed out, matter-of-factly.

"What did your mommy do?" Alicia hesitated,

"I'm not 'sposed to say." Dean sighted, heavily,

"Please, it's really important so I can help your big brother." Alicia's voice dropped to a whisper,

"Mommy didn't say anything anymore and we got a fishy pond." Dean stood up, pushing in the tiny chair.

"Thanks, Alicia."

* * *

Dean found the kitchen, easily. Mrs. Conners was at the table just as he'd left her a half hour earlier.

"You didn't tell me everything." She looked up, surprised. "You gave me that box of newspaper clippings and knew I wouldn't find a single thing. Please, Mrs. Conners, I need to know about the body they found out back." After a pause he added, "This thing isn't gonna leave Jake along unless I can get some answers."

Wordlessly, she made her way to the adjoining room. Digging through a small desk drawer, she came up with two copied pages of an old newspaper. They were dated June 1904, and as she handed them to Dean he could see that they were about the disappearance and death of one Egan Gile.

"When we first found out about the body, the police wanted our permission not to publicize it. The workers we had digging the pond didn't even know the truth about it. They were told it was a misunderstanding. Since it involved a missing persons case from over a century ago, my husband wanted to do just that. After a little convincing, I let it go; but now before I could find out whose body it was."

"How come I wasn't able to find these when my brother and I searched the library?" Dean questioned, indicating the articles.

"I didn't get them there. I got them off of a website. There were always whispers that Egan and some of the other founders had been in a cult. If people had seen this, there'd be little to doubt. It would just add fuel to the fire. People keep to themselves here." Dean shook his head in understanding.

"Where'd they take the body once they'd identified it?"

"Since there were no living relatives to claim it, they took it to Potter's Field across from the Old North Church."

"Thanks, Mrs. Conners. I'll call Jake later if I need him." With that, Dean headed for the front door, his fingers already dialing Sam's cell number. He answered on the third ring.

"Sammy, I need you to meet me at the motel. I think I know a way to find out what happened to McGovern."


End file.
